Lunar New Year: five joyful paper accessories to help you celebrate

As Lunar New Year on 10 February 2024 heralds the start of the Year of the Wood Dragon, these five joyful paper accessories give cause for celebration. (For food and drink, see our pick of Year of the Wood Dragon tasty treats, or rustle up a martini infused with Southeast Asian flavour using Mothaiba pandan vodka.)

The Notebook

In its ongoing Legend of the Zodiac strand, Montblanc celebrates this Lunar New Year with pens and paper goods dedicated to the horoscope symbol of 2024. The Montblanc pen tributes are, as you would expect, richly crafted, collectible editions but we love the simplicity of this elegant little tribute to the Wood Dragon – a small Italian-made notebook (150 x 210 mm) with watermarked paper and silver-cut edges. £75, The Pen Shop

The Party Plates

You don’t have to wait until February to pick up Chinese New Year paper accessories. There are so many gorgeous variations to choose from. These gold foil-embossed cherry-blossom and dragon plates and cocktail napkins befit any celebration, elevating even a humble picnic to a regal shindig. American store Enfete has a huge selection of paper party goods suited to various occasions, but how you decide to use them is all part of the fun. From $7, Enfete

The Gift of Luck

Every culture has its particular New Year treats, and to receive a little red envelope – hóngbāo, or ‘red bag’ – with a few gold coins or notes inside, on the cusp of the Lunar New Year is always special. Particularly if you love stationery, as the design of these envelopes is significant. As with greetings cards, a thoughtful choice says a lot. We love the chic, minimalist graphics on Chop Suey Club’s offering for this Year of the Wood Dragon. They are also given with the generous intention of prosperity and luck. £9, chopsueyclub

The Moon Phase Calendar

The Brooklyn-based, Singapore-raised painter and bookmaker Jia Sung has a deeply atmospheric, watercolour style that infuses her work with a visceral immediacy. As well as being regularly commissioned by leading book publishers, newspapers and magazines, she teaches at art institutes including MoMA. She is also the author of Trickster's Journey, her own, illustrated interpretation of the tarot. She also creates a Lunar New Year calendar every year. This limited-edition 11in x 17in  Wood Dragon Moon Calendar on cream cover stock, is Sung’s 2024 offering. $20, jia-sung.com, also available at chopsueyclub

The Home Decoration

This exquisite shimenawa, not a paper decoration but one made of straw, is created as a bell, a carrier for the symbolic Japanese paper streamer – shide – that has been hung in sacred areas or homes in Japan as a barrier for evil spirits since the ritual arrived from China eons ago. White paper is used as a purifier, but shimenawa, ropes crafted from rice straw or hemp, are also a signifier of purification – a cleanser to welcome in the new year. This lucky bell is by Japanese artist Chie Nagaura; the origami-like zig-zag paper wrapped to the front of the straw bell is her beautifully modern take on age-old traditions. Lucky Bell, £55, japanhouselondon.com